AS YOU MAY KNOW, THE VOICE OF AMERICA BEGAN AS AN OVERSEAS RADIO SERVICE DURING WORLD
WAR 2.
IN THE 1960S, ONE OF VOA'S LONGEST-RUNNING ENGLISH LANGUAGE PROGRAMS FIRST WENT ON THE
AIR ... "MUSIC TIME IN AFRICA."
HEATHER MAXWELL IS THE HOST OF THE PAN-AFRICAN MUSIC PROGRAM THESE DAYS, AND ON ASSIGNMENT'S
REBECCA WARD CAUGHT UP WITH HER TO TALK ABOUT THE SHOW AND ITS LEGACY.
LET'S TAKE A LOOK.
HELLO AFRICA.
MAKADI.
WELCOME TO MUSIC TIME IN AFRICA.
WELCOME TO MUSIC TIME IN AFRICA - KAABO.
SO HEATHER YOU HAVE PROBABLY ONE OF THE COOLEST JOBS HERE AT THE VOICE OF AMERICA.
YOU ARE AN ETHNOMUSICOLOGIST.
DID I SAY THAT CORRECT?
THAT'S IT.
SO TELL ME A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE SHOW - MUSIC TIME IN AFRICA.
YES.
THE SHOW IT IS A 60 MINUTE MUSIC SHOW THAT FEATURES MUSIC FROM ALL OVER THE CONTINENT
AND THE DIASPORA, AND IT ALSO FEATURES MUSIC OF ALL GENRES AND ALL GENERATIONS.
AND IT'S A VERY POPULAR FORM OF MUSIC NOWADAYS.
PROBABLY WHEN YOU WERE AT UNIVERSITY, AFRICAN MUSIC WAS NOT AS PREVALENT ON THE RADIO AS
HERE IN UNITED STATES AS IT IS TODAY.
THAT'S TRUE.
BUT THE WORLD IS SMALLER NOW AND WE HAVE ACCESS TO MUSIC FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD NOW.
BUT ONE OF THE THINGS I LIKE MOST ABOUT MUSIC TIME IN AFRICA IS THAT IT'S AFRICAN MUSIC
FOR AFRICANS, AND I ALSO FEATURE LIVE MUSIC THAT COMES INTO VOA.
THE MOST RECENT ONE WAS A GROUP CALLED TARTIT, AND THEY ARE A FIVE-MEMBER BAND - FOUR ARE
WOMEN AND ONE MAN - AND THEY'RE FROM NORTHERN MALI.
THEY ARE TUAREGS AND THEY PLAY REALLY TRADITIONAL MUSIC.
BUT IT WAS GREAT BECAUSE THEY'RE VERY TRADITIONAL AND THEY SAT ON THE FLOOR AND I SAT ON THE
FLOOR AND THEY HAVE TO TAKE WATER AND POUR IT ON THE DRUMS EVERY FIVE MINUTES OR SO TO
PULL THE SKINS DOWN.
AND SO WAS REALLY THAT WAS REALLY AWESOME.
THE ONE THE WEEK BEFORE WAS OLIVER MTUKUDZI FROM ZIMBABWE.
AND HE CAME IN AND WE CHATTED FOR A GOOD HALF AN HOUR AND WE TALKED ABOUT HIS MUSIC, ZIMBABWE,
AND HIS RECENT ALBUM AND THE THEME OF THAT ALBUM, WHICH WAS SAD BECAUSE HE LOST HIS SON
AND IT WAS ABOUT HOW TO DEAL WITH LOSS ESPECIALLY OF A CHILD.
WHEN YOU PERFORM THIS TO FEEL CLOSE, CLOSE TO YOUR SON?
I THINK IT IS, IT IS.
IT IS REALLY BECAUSE WHEN I PLAY SONGS FROM THAT, IT MAKES ME, IT REMINDS ME, IT SOOTHES
ME.
THE WEEK BEFORE THAT IT WAS AN ETHIO-ACOUSTIC SOUL GROUP.
A YOUNG GROUP OF ETHIOPIAN AND GERMAN PAIR, AND THEY WERE DOING REALLY CONTEMPORARY POP
MUSIC.
THE RADIO SHOW IS FOR AFRICAN AUDIENCE BUT YOU PROBABLY HAVE FANS WORLDWIDE.
THEY DON'T HAVE TO TUNE INTO A TELEVISION OR RADIO STATION TO SEE WHAT YOU'VE DONE.
YOU CAN ACTUALLY SEE IT ON THE VOA WEBSITE.
OH YEAH, YOU GO STRAIGHT TO THE VOA WEBSITE, LISTEN TO THE RADIO SHOW AND WATCH THE BLOG.
(HEY EVERYBODY ARE YOU READY FOR A GREAT SHOW?)
SO THE PROGRAMS BEEN AROUND SINCE 1965.
YEAH.
BUT HOW MANY CHANGES AND WHAT CHANGES HAVE YOU BROUGHT, HAVE THERE BEEN MANY CHANGES?
WELL THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF CHANGES.
NUMBER ONE, IT USED TO BE A 30 MINUTE SHOW.
AND WHEN IT STARTED IN 65, AFRICANS IN - SAY IN ONE COUNTRY - DIDN'T EVER HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY
TO HEAR MUSIC OF AFRICANS IN ANOTHER REGION - LET ALONE ANOTHER COUNTRY.
BEFORE, THE MUSIC WAS MORE TRADITIONAL AND NOW IT'S MORE CONTEMPORARY.
I MEAN, THE WORLD, MUSIC IS JUST, YOU KNOW THERE'S JUST MUCH MORE TO COVER.
BUT I GUESS PROBABLY THE BIGGEST CHANGE IS THE COMMUNICATION.
I MEAN NOW INSTEAD OF WRITING LETTERS AND WE RECEIVE FAN MAIL, WE'RE USING SOCIAL MEDIA
LOT MORE.
SO I'M ON TWITTER.
I HAVE A FACEBOOK PAGE WITH, WHERE I CAN PUT LINKS TO THE SHOWS.
AND AFRICANS WHO HAVE ACCESS TO INTERNET GET ON AND THEY TELL ME "HEY HEATHER WE WANT TO
HEAR THIS SONG.
CAN YOU PLAY THIS?"
OR "CAN YOU GIVE A SHOUT OUT TO MY COUSIN IN THIS PLACE AND THAT PLACE?"
AND SO WE COMMUNICATE A LOT MORE THROUGH SOCIAL NETWORKING EVEN THOUGH WE ALSO STILL USE TELEPHONE
AND STILL SOME LETTERS, OLD SNAIL MAIL DOES COMES THROUGH.
IT REALLY IS GREAT TO HEAR ALL THAT MUSIC, PHIL, FROM THE AFRICAN CONTINENT ESPECIALLY
SINCE IT'S MUSIC THAT WE LOT OF TIME DON'T HAVE ACCESS TO.
AND THANKS TO VOICE OF AMERICA...
EXACTLY, IF YOU WANT TO CHECK OUT HEATHER MAXWELL'S SHOW "MUSIC TIME IN AFRICA", YOU
CAN LISTEN TO IT ON OUR WEBSITE VOANES.COM.
YOU CAN ALSO FIND HER BLOG, WHICH IS CALLED AFRICAN TREASURES.